On The Brinks

On The Brinks tells the fascinating and incredible true story of one of America's biggest and most audacious robberies. It is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed memoir and became an overnight sensation in Ireland and Europe, topping the Irish best-sellers for over eight months.

Recipient Trophées 813 2014 Du Meilleur Roman

Recipient Golden Balais d’or for Best Crime Book of 2013-14

Aisling Award for Art and Culture

Film Rights Bought by Focus Features

"On The Brinks tells the story of [Millar] an IRA activist imprisoned in the worst jails Ireland prior to one of the most famous robberies in American history. It this were fiction, it would be an excellent thriller, but it’s a true story, sustained by terrific writing."- Rolling Stone Magazine

"On The Brinks is an amazing book built in two stages. Belfast and New York. Two cities for two extraordinary lives. The story of those years is terrible humiliation, torture, acts of barbarism, man reduced to the level of a beast. Between Nazi concentration camps and Russian gulags, Long Kesh finds its place among these horrors."- Le Figaro

"The life of Samuel Millar is worthy of an extraordinary film noir. And for once, the expression is not overused."- Le Parisien

"Brilliant. Unforgettable and unputdownable..."- Irish Examiner

"...many twists & turns... perfect for a film..." Irish TImes

“This man {Millar} is a true force of nature…with a strong will, a spirit unswervingly tough. On The Brinks is a piece of history narrated with humor, humility and simplicity. How can such a combination be possible? Yet it is true and an incredible story of Sam Millar, the indomitable Irish. Grab a copy now.”
Huffington Post

“On The Brinks is a tremendous read. It belongs in the wider sense to the same literature as On another Man’s Wounds, or rather the sequel The Singing Flame.” Dr. Bruce Stewart, The Oxford Companion to Irish Literature

"At its best, literature can bring history to life, particularly if the author has so grim a humour as Millar, especially if he has the literary force to conquer the horror.” Stern Magazine, Germany

"Tremendously alive, moving, exciting and entertaining. So exciting that you quickly forget what horror he [Millar] endured.” Focus, Germany

"Brilliant.” Bücher Magazine, Germany

“One of the most powerful thrillers of the year.”
Olivier Van Vaerenbergh, Le Vif, Belgium

"Hollywood couldn't have done it better." Irish Voice, New York

"It appears to be one of the biggest robberies in US history." New York Times, front page

"Naked... for years on end in a freezing cell... beatings... whatever... Millar went through it all." Pulitzer Prize winning author, William Sherman writing in Esquire Magazine

"Compelling..." La Repubblica, Italy

"...fascinating..." Andy Court, Producer, Dateline NBC, New York

“On The Brinks is compulsive reading…”Irish Independent, Book Reviews

"On The Brinks is powerful. Most hardboiled and noir thrillers cannot compete with this book in terms of brutality, language and pace. An entertaining reading experience that stands out from the crowd. This is high literary quality reminiscent of Hammett and Chandler.” Crime Network, Germany.

“What a story; thank you for sharing your astonishing memoir with the world and Penguin/Random House.”